1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a gaming machine which is capable of repeatedly execute a unitary game.
2. Background Art
A technique of changing a payout rate in a gaming machine repeatedly executing a unitary game is proposed (for example, United State Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0058067 and United State Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0058072).
In recent years, there has been a tendency that slot machines become less popular, whereas table games or the like become more popular. One of the reasons is deemed to be that a payout rate of a slot machine is low. In casinos, since there is a need to ensure sales, there is a tendency of avoiding installation of a slot machine with its high payout rate. That is, in a case where the payout rate is high in a state in which operability of a slot machine is identical to that of another one, the sales in gaming facility tend to lower. Thus, the managers of the gaming facilities such as casinos are prone to hesitating introduction of a slot machine with its high payout rate. As a result, in a slot machine with its low payout rate, since a player cannot enjoy the play of game very much, the number of players playing slot machine games decreased, and the sales in the gaming facility could not be increased.
A slot machine which is capable of changing a payout rate in gaming facility such as casino is also conventionally known. Such a slot machine has a switch for changing a payout rate. The staff in gaming facility can change setting of the payout rate by operating the switch according to a play situation in gaming facility subsequent to closing the facility. However, a player cannot directly check whether the payout rate is set to be high or low. Therefore, even in a case where the staff in gaming facility sets the payout rate to be high, no player can be aware of the fact and there has been a low possibility that a player can enjoy a game at the slot machine at which the payout rate is set to be high. Hence, even in a case where the payout rate is set to be high, players who visit the gaming facility cannot enjoy a game, the number of players who play games at slot machines cannot be always increased, and it has been difficult to increase the sales of the slot machines in the gaming facility.
Further, there is a slot machine at which a basic game migrates to a bonus game on the basis of the fact that a player wins lottery processing and gaming mediums are paid out intensively in large amount. However, in such a slot machine, there are many cases in which the number of payouts in basic game is defined to be extremely small in comparison with that in bonus game in order to realize an appropriate balance of payout. Therefore, in a case where a basic game does not migrate to a bonus game, a large amount of gaming mediums are disallowed to be paid out to a player in the bonus game.
In the conventional slot machines as described above, therefore, there has been a tendency that players have impression that they cannot enjoy a game even if there is provided a function which is capable of changing a payout rate or a function such as a bonus game which enables a player to acquire a large amount of gaming mediums. From the standpoint of gaming facility such as casino, the conventional slot machines having the function which is capable of changing a payout rate or the function such as a bonus game enabling a player to acquire a large amount of gaming mediums as described above, failed to attract players well with these functions and the sales in the gaming facilities could not be ensured.
The present invention has been made in order to solve the conventional problems described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine which is capable of realizing an appropriate balance between players' profits and providers' profits of slot machines (gaming facilities such as casinos, for example) by realizing an attractive payout rate for players and ensuring the sales of slot machine providers.
For example, the balance between the players' profits and the providers' profits of slot machines can be realized by increasing a payout rate while time of executing a unitary game is reduced and then the number of times of executing the unitary game is increased. The players' profits can be increased by increasing the payout rate. The playing time of the unitary game is reduced and then the number of times of executing the unitary game is increased, whereby the number of gaming mediums inserted can be increased and then the profits of the slot machine providers can be provided. Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a gaming machine which is capable of realizing an appropriate balance between the players' profits and the slot machine providers' profits.